Universal joint



June 11, 1046. ANDERSON 2,402,000

UNIVERSAL JOINT Filed Oct. 16, 1943 Patented June 11 1946 UNIVERSAL Jom'r Edmund B. Anderson, Rockford; Ill., assignor to Borg-Warner Corporation, Chicago,

poration of Illinois a cor- Application October 18,1943, Serial No. 506.473

5 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to a Hookes joint or universal joint for power transmission where the promixate ends of two shafts having intersecting axes are connected to transmit motion and power from a drive shaft to a, driven shaft.

More particularly, the present improvements relate to a novel arrangement for connecting the furcations or arms of the yokes to the center member of a universal joint.

Some of the principal objects of this invention are to simplify the construction, reduce the expense and to improve the emciency and operation of such a universal joint as is disclosed herein.

The present improvements aim to provide a universal joint wherein the iurcations or arms of the Yokes and the seats in the center member provide an interlocking arrangement that efiectively prevents lateral or radial displacement or dislodgement oi the yoke arms from the center member. v

Another object of these improvements resides in the provision of an arrangement wherein it is necessary to spring the arms away from each other during the operation of assembling the parts of the joint so that the arms are effectively locked to prevent the joint becoming separated. when it is not installed in an operating position.

It is a further object to provide a universal joint wherein the yoke arms and their seats or guides in the center member are of dot/e tail shape in cross-section and such formation extends throughout the entire length of each arm and each seat. Also the fork opening i the yoke between the outer ends of the arms is of less dimension than the transverse dimension or width the appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawing that forms a part of this specification, wherein:

Fig, l is a longitudinal side elevational view showings preferred embodiment of the universal joint contemplated herein;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof taken on line 22 of Fig. 1:

Fig. 3 is a View in elevation of one of the yokes detached from the universal joint;

Fig. 4 is a view looking at the right hand end of Fig.3;

I Fig. 5 is a graphic view illustrating the manner of assembling a yoke with the center member;

Fig. 6 shows the same parts when assembled:

Fig. '7 is a face elevation of the center member;

Fig. 8 is an edge elevation of the center mem-. her; and

Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating proportional dimensions of certain parts of the universal joint.

The drawing is to be understood as being more or less of a schematic. character for the purpose of disclosing a typical or preferred form of the improvements contemplated herein, and in the drawing like reference characters identify the same parts in the several views.

The structure illustrated embodies a center member 5 that is a'disc of the desired diameter and thickness having fiat parallel sides or faces and anarcuate or curved. peripheral edge 6, that is convex in cross-section preferably having a. curvature such as would be developed in the forming of a sphere of the radius of said disc. The convex curvature of the edge is not essential and the above-described pattern is more or less op tional. The peripheral edge of the dis is provided with transverse channels or groove l the inner or bottom surfaces 8 of which are of arcuate or convex shape throughout their length. The curvature of these bottom surfaces may be substantially concentric with the transverse curvature of the edge surface of the disc, but they should be arcs of a circle struck from the axis of the center member.

The side walls a of these channels or grooves are undercut in the manner shown in Figs. 2

and 7 to adapt the channels for assembly with the arms of the yokes that interlock therewith. In the universal joint shown there are four of these channel 7 that are arranged in diametii cally disposed radial pairs for coactive assembly with the bifurcated or forked ends of the yoke couplings.

Que of these yoke coupling members is illus= trated in detail in Figs. 3 and 4 that show side and end views thereof. A yoke coupling com prises a cylindrical body it adapted for connec: tion in any suitable manner to the end of a driv ing or driven shaft (not shown) and said i0 is provided at one end with a pair of spaced arms ii that are Preferably integral with it and project from diametrically oppositesides of con cave shoulders 82 at the end of the body. The confronting or facing surfaces It of the arms are concavely curved, the arcs of which are developed from a common center in order to conform with the curvature of the inner or bottom surfaces t of the channels 7 in the center member. Throughout the portions of the arms that are engaged with the channel these elements are counterparts of each other and interfit in a manher that permits relative movement of one part I I 3 with respect to, the other. At their inner ends these arms ii are separated or spaced from each other by a concave recess l4 that provides clearance for the tips of the arms of the opposing yoke during rotative movement of the universal joint and during the operation of assembling the parts of the universal Joint.

The outer portions of wardly toward each other as shown at 15 in Fig.

' 3 and in cross-section it will be seen that the longitudinal sides It of these arms are converged toward each other from their inner corners to their outer corners in the manner shown in Figs. 2 and 3 to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the channels I in the edge of the center member. 'The arm H and the channels I interfit in the manner of the tenon and mortise of a dovetail and the arcuate form of these elements permits a sliding movement of one of them with respect to the other. This interlocking or dovetail arrangement also prevents any tendencyvof the arms ii to move away from each other or bend outward due to a longitudinal pull on a lateral stress that may be exerted against them.

The outer ends of the arms H preferably have beveled or rounded portions I! that reduce their transverse dimension at their tips to provide clearance when the ends of the arms enter the recess It during rotative movement of the universal ioint or during assembly of the yokes and center member as hereinafter described.' The outer portions of these arms are of a lunate or horn-shape with tips l8 that project inwardly toward each other and provide a gap I9 between them.

By reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen that in cross-section the arms and channels are of trapeziform with the 'wide bases innermost and the narrow bases forming the outer faces of'the .40

arms.

The manner of assembling the parts of this universal joint is graphically illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. In this connection attenion is directed to the diagram (Fig. 9) wherein it is shown that the width of the gap I9 between the tips I8 is less than the thickness of the disc embodying the center member 5.- a

In assembling the yoke with the center member, the arms I! are forced apart or spring away from each other by pushing the center member between the tips at one of the channelsl as shown in Fig. 5. This will engage the tips IS with the flat sides of thecenter member. The relative movement is continued to cause the tips l8 to pass diametrically across the center memher until said tips snap into the opposite channel I as. shown'ln Fig. 6. In this latter position (Flg.v 6) the distance between the tip I8 is less than the thicknes of the disc forming the center member so that dislodgement of the yoke is prevented. Thereafter the arms Il may be readily entered in their respective channels by a rotative movement of the center member or by a swinging movement of the yoke around the axis of the center member. The second yoke is assembled with the center member in the same manner as above described, and during this step one of the arms of the second yoke will be inserted through'the recess l4 between the arms of the first-assembled yoke. After assembly of the yokes with the center member, any longitudinal stress or pull in the direction of the axes of the yokes will tend to cause the tips I8 to cam outward by their engagement with the the arm llcurve in-- curved bottom surfaces 8 of the channels 7. This will force the side faces iii of the yoke arms against the undercut side faces 9'of the channels which will effectively resist a spreading of the yoke arms.

While the invention has been described in detail in its preferred form or embodiment, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, after understanding the improvements, that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.

I claim:

1. A universal joint embodying a center member comprising a circular disc having transverse channels in diametrically opposite portions of its periphery, and oppositely extending yokes cooperatively engaged with said channels, said yokes comprising spaced arms slidably fitting the peripheral channels in said center member, the said arms and the said channels embodying counterpart elements of trapeziform cross-section that are disposed with the wide bases thereof innermost to effect a locking engagement of the arms with the channels and resist dislodgement of the arms in a lateral or radial direction with respect to the center member.

2. A universal joint embodying a center member having fiat sides, and a plurality of diametrically opposite peripheral channels extending transversely across the edge of the center member, and yokes comprising arms cooperating with planes of the sides of the center member and the tips of the arms of each yoke spaced from each other a distance less than the thickness of the center member to arrest movement of the arms in adirection longitudinally of the axis of a yoke.

'3. A universal joint embodying a center member comprising a circular disc having transverse channels in diametrically opposite portions of its periphery, the longitudinal sides of said channels having under-cut fiat surfaces throughout their length, and the bottoms of said channels curved outward between the ends of said channels, and oppositely extending 'yokes, each. comprising spaced arms slidably engaged. in said channels, said arms having arcuate confronting faces, and the sides of said arms having outwardly converg-' ing faces that coact with the under-cut sides of the channels to prevent movement of the arms'in lateral directions away from each other.

4. A universal Joint as defined in claim 3, wherein each yoke is provided with a recess between the inner portions or roots of its arms to, effect clearance for the tips of the other yoke arms during rotative movement of the universal EDMUND B. ANDERSON. A 

